


Safety, Love, and Trust

by Cinder7storm4



Series: How can I trust you? [26]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Stiles, Beacon Hill Deputies, Beacon Hills Sheriff's Station, Chris Argent Feels, Chris Argent is Bad at Feelings, Crying, Cryptic Alan Deaton, Deaton is the only option, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Derek Hale Uses His Words, Derek Hale is Not a Failwolf, Derek Uses His Words, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Hurt Stiles Stilinski, Evil Gerard Argent, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt Stiles, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Minor Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Minor Chris Argent/Peter Hale, Mysterious Alan Deaton, Pack Family, Pack Meetings, Peter Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Sheriff Stilinski Knows, Stiles Has Issues, Stiles Stilinski Self-Harms, Stiles Stilinski is Part of the Pack, Stiles doesn't like it, Stiles has good instincts, Stiles has trust issues, Stiles trusts Derek, Stilinski Family Feels, The Deputies love Stiles, The Hale Pack - Freeform, Victoria Argent is bad, it's referenced
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-19 01:13:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15499002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinder7storm4/pseuds/Cinder7storm4
Summary: The Sheriff and Melissa attend their first pack meeting. John gets to see his kid in action as part of the pack.Also, the other, less friendly Argents are coming to town and Deaton is the pack's only option. Stiles doesn't like it.Derek trusts Stiles. Surprisingly, Stiles also trusts Derek.Stiles also has a bit of a breakdown in front of his dad.





	Safety, Love, and Trust

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.

A knock sounded at John’s office door, and he looked up from the case he was reviewing to wave in the deputy and gesture for him to close the door behind him.  
“What’s up, Sheriff? Jerry said you wanted to talk to me,” Deputy Adam Sticks shuffled a bit in the office, unsure of why he’d been called in to see his boss.

“It’s about Stiles, Adam,” John said, closing the case in front of him “Feel free to sit down and stop panicking.” 

With a laugh Adam did just that. “What’s up with the kid?”

“Has he been tutoring your daughter?” Adam’s eyebrows rose.

“Yeah, for about two years now,” Adam replied. 

“How’s she doing?” 

“Much better since Stiles started helping her. Honestly, she’s talking about maybe taking science courses in high school, which is something she has been afraid of since she was younger. He really built up her confidence.”

John smiled, “I’m glad.”

Adam looked at his boss, glanced out at the bullpen, and then seemed to make a decision, “You didn’t know did you, about Stiles helping Callie?”

John shook his head. 

“Look, Sheriff this job, it gets crazy. Sometimes the only way I can stay on top of what’s going on in Callie’s life is because Jake leaves me like mini briefings to read after I get back from shifts. You can’t be too hard on yourself.”

“It’s not so much that I don’t stay on top of things, Adam. I think it’s more that I don’t see the things right in front of me,” replied John in a moment of candor. 

“If there’s anything I can do for you, either of you. Let me know. I’m working at paying better attention too, if it helps. Jerry made that phone call to McCall last week while Jess and I were in the conference room and I get the feeling there’s more going on than we” he gestured to the station “know, but we’re here for you guys.”

“When you say you’re working at paying better attention…”

Adam bit his lip, “I may have been too quick to believe Stiles that he had other things to do every time I asked him to stay for dinner or just to talk.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Adam,” John told his deputy.

“I’m not going to wallow in guilt, Sheriff. I’m set on the future, and making things better,” Adam paused, “You should be looking forward too.”

“Thanks for the insight, Deputy,” John dismissed Adam, with a smile and a nod.  
\---  
The Sheriff’s hope to see Stiles alone after he finished tutoring Callie was blown to pieces when he received a text from Derek as he walked out to his cruiser, intent on picking Stiles up from Adam’s house. 

The text was an address, one John recognized as Derek’s loft. The message was curt, ‘Pack meeting tonight at 7pm.’ Another one came in moments later ‘Stiles is here already.’

John drew in a deep breath and let it out. Then he dialled Melissa who answered with “Are you going to the pack meeting?”

John huffed “Yeah, Stiles is there,” he paused, “Want a ride?”

“Sure, I’m at home.”

“I’ll be there soon.”  
\---  
The two adults pulled up at the loft, “Have you ever been here before?” Melissa asked John as they made their way into the building’s elevator. 

John shook his head; Melissa let out a breath “Neither have I.” 

“It’s a nicer building than I thought it would be,” Melissa said as they approached the loft door.

“That would be Stiles’ doing,” commented a voice from behind them, and the duo turned to be confronted with the clearly undead Peter Hale.

Melissa looked unimpressed with the newcomer and John had to agree. He was still thinking about how this man had kidnapped his son. The Sheriff took a deep breath; he had to remember that this wolf, this man, had respected his son’s bodily integrity seemingly without cause or past precedent, that had to count for something.

“You don’t say,” John replied. 

Peter’s lips curled into a smile that boarded on a smirk, “He was insistent that Derek and his puppies stop living in an abandoned train station. He also has a decent eye for real estate.”

John didn’t know what to make of the man’s comments but he knew they were grating on him, even if he wasn’t entirely sure why. 

Before he had the chance to figure out how to respond the loft door opened to reveal Derek, and Stiles’ voice called out into the hall after him, “Stop hassling the good citizens of the world, zombiewolf!”

Derek smiled, fixing his uncle with an amused look, while Peter just shrugged and headed into the loft. “Melissa, John,” Derek greeted them both with a nod, “I apologize for my uncle. He tends to make getting under peoples’ skin a game at the worst of times.”

The loft was nothing like Melissa or John had expected. It was tastefully decorated, functional, but comfortable. “It’s nice,” Melissa commented, surprise evident in her voice. 

“That’s all Lydia and Stiles. They work fast,” Derek commented.

“But you’ve been living here for,”

“Several months, and we had the basics back then. Stiles wouldn’t stand for anything less, but Lydia’s adding touches of her own already.”

“Speaking of, where is…” John trailed off as he caught sight of Stiles, deep in conversation with Chris Argent, gesturing at a map spread out on a large table, standing next to a corkboard filled with papers, photos, and strings. Stiles looked so in control and in command; John had trouble reconciling the Stiles he’d held in his arms last night to the one standing in front of him, arguing with a highly trained hunter and seemingly more than holding his own. 

“Hi Sheriff, Melissa,” Allison appeared from the kitchen and walked over to the little group, Peter having split off to sit at a chair by the island watching Chris and Stiles. 

“Allison, good to see you,” John greeted her, as Melissa beckoned the girl in for a quick hug, which she seemed surprised by, but accepted happily. 

“I hear you’re back with my son,” Melissa teased her lightly. Allison blushed, “Yeah, I think we sorted some things out.”

“I’m glad,” Melissa told her. 

‘Can I get you something to drink?” Allison asked Melissa, “Derek’s keeping tabs on Stiles and Dad, so he wants to stay in closer proximity.” The two of them set off for the kitchen while Derek turned to look at John, “Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you and Stiles, Melissa and Stiles, or hell, anyone and Stiles, but he knows that if he needs it he can always stay here. I am telling you this as a courtesy, John. He was all over the place emotionally when he got here this afternoon.”

John opened his mouth to explain, but Derek held up a hand, “I’m not asking for an explanation. If you want to give one, fine, but later. The rest of the pack are on their way up.”  
The Sheriff nodded, swallowing his pride and the flash of anger he’d felt at Derek’s words, because they made sense.

“If he does come here, we’ll let you know,” Peter interjected himself into the conversation quietly and smoothly. John hadn’t even noticed the wolf moving, “But Derek’s right, he needs to know he can come here if he needs to just be somewhere else. At least here we can watch him.”

“Thank you,” the words were hard to say, but John found it within himself to say them. He needed to say them. 

John desperately wanted to go over to his son, even just to say hello, but then the rest of the pack came tumbling through the loft door. Stiles and Chris stopped talking, the hunter’s face thoughtful and the trace of a smirk on Stiles’ lips as if he’d gotten his way. John did not doubt he had. 

It turned out that Victoria Argent was returning to town the next day, accompanied by her father-in-law, Gerard, a man even more psychotic than Kate who was apparently dying and intended to get his hands on the local Alpha to stop death in its tracks. 

As Chris ran down the information he’d been able to glean from hacking into his wife’s phone records and her email the intention was to use Allison, as a pawn, willing or unwilling, to get Scott to turn on Derek and push the Alpha into a position that would leave him with no other option but to bite Gerard. And maybe had this plan been put into motion before Jackson had been cured, or before Lydia’s party and Scott and Stiles had still been on shaky ground the beta wolf knew that possibly he could have been seduced by a plan like this. Something that would allow him and Allison to be together, but there was so much more at risk now, including his pack. His pack, which included Allison. Scott wouldn’t let himself be swayed to selfish or stupid thinking now, not with everything at stake. 

“Isn’t this more of a hunter problem though?” Isaac ventured to ask, after Chris gave them the run down, “Like Allison’s pack and we’ll protect her as such, but…” 

Before either Chris or Derek could respond Stiles jumped in, “Allison’s involved, which makes this a pack problem. Also, the Argents headed into town aren’t likely to look too kindly on the strides the Hale pack is making towards actual stability.”

“But what can we do about it?” Scott asked, “I mean we can keep watch, and protect Allison but that won’t solve the problem.”

“No, it won’t, Scotty,” Stiles replied, he flicked his eyes over to Chris who rolled his eyes, but gestured for the teen to continue, “There are options though…” Peter opened his mouth and Stiles cut him off with a sharp, “Options that won’t require my jeep becoming a dumping ground for bodies, Peter. Focus, Creeperwolf.” Chris snorted, the rest of the pack looked confusedly at the older Argent. 

“What?”

“He’s your father,” Melissa said, “And you just laughed at the idea of his death, don’t colour us wrongly confused.”

Chris took a deep breath “I don’t want to kill him, not really, but the man’s a bastard and in order for Allison and me to live our lives he needs to be out of the picture. Dead or behind bars are our only options.”

“And your wife?” John asked. Stiles looked at his dad for a moment, their eyes connecting, but then Stiles turned back to Chris. 

“Most hunter marriages are arranged. They focus on stronger alliances, not unlike the ones packs used to use, but unlike packs they still arrange marriage alliances. My marriage was organized swiftly in reaction to my own attempt at following my heart and not my family's plans.” Peter glanced up at the elder Argent, eyes scrutinizing, but the other man did not return his gaze. 

“She also threatened to kill me, so there goes my ability to trust and love her,” Allison stated, reaching out to grip her dad’s hand. Stiles looked at the Argents, a sad smile on his face. 

“So, what are our options?” Lydia asked, to clear some of the emotion in the room.

“While I would rather take care of this myself, I have been persuaded that that option might be more than highly irresponsible given present company,” Chris nodded at John, as Stiles muttered, “Damn right.”

“We could of course, try to arrest them for a myriad of offenses they’ve committed, but” 

“That would take too long,” Stiles interjected.

“So…” Chris dragged out.

“Dad! Remember, if it’s dramatic for no reason, don’t!” Allison reprimanded him.

John was struck by how jovial the assembled group was, even while discussing threats to their lives and he remembered feeling this type of camaraderie when he was in the Army. This was the type of humor and connection established by surviving near death experiences together. It was obvious that the fellowship was deepest amongst the three original betas, Scott, and Stiles, but John could almost feel it creeping at the edges of Allison and Lydia’s tones. 

“We’re contacting the Council,” Stiles stated, his voice firm.  
“Through who, Deaton?” Peter inquired, intrigued.

Stiles nodded. 

“You realize that you’re essentially declaring war on the rest of your family, right?” Derek asked, Allison and Chris, his tone firm. 

“Yes,” Allison replied, “but if they were any kind of family we wouldn’t have to, would we?”

Derek had nothing to say to that. 

“What is the Council?” Lydia asked, turning her eyes to Stiles. 

“It’s a collection of magical and supernatural entities that help settle feuds within the community internationally.” Stiles replied.

“They also train agents to police trouble spots,” Peter commented, a thoughtful expression on his face as he looked at Stiles, the young man stared back, quirking an eyebrow in a silent query. Peter dismissed him and then picked up his train of thought, “They run by their own rules, but they won’t cause trouble for you, Sheriff.”

“I don’t really have much choice in this though, do I?” John shot back.

“You can meet with them, tell the agents what you will and will not tolerate here,” Stiles replied, still not looking at his dad, “But what they end up doing is up to them, I suppose.”

“You don’t seem thrilled with this option,” Lydia pointed out.

Stiles shrugged, “I’m not a fan of Deaton and his cryptic bullshit, but it’s what we’ve got.”

Derek titled his head, seemingly not happy that Stiles wasn’t fully on board with the plan, but he also seemed to see that it was their best option.

“Okay, so at school someone will always be with you, Ally, and when someone isn’t with you, please check in with us via text before you go anywhere,” Stiles said, looking apologetically at the huntress.

“It’s okay, Stiles,” Allison replied, “I know you wouldn’t propose this if you didn’t think it was necessary.”

Stiles smiled slightly at the young woman, as Scott squeezed Allison’s hand, reassuring her that they would all have her back too. 

“Thank your dad, Ally, not me,” Stiles put up his hands to deflect the thanks onto Chris.  
The huntress didn’t fight him, but her narrowed gaze told him she wouldn’t let it go. 

Derek cleared his throat, and then went about ending the official part of the pack meeting. Everyone started splitting off, Peter heading to the kitchen with Stiles in tow, talking quietly. 

Chris looked like he was going to follow the duo, then stopped and turned to say something to Derek, although his eyes kept flicking to the kitchen. Derek pretended not to notice and answered Chris’ questions as best he could. Isaac, Boyd, and Erica settled more comfortably on the couch and turned on the television, Boyd switching the channel to a home decorating show that caught Lydia’s attention. Allison rolled her eyes, and said something to Scott that made the teen laugh. 

Melissa sat watching Scott out of the corner of her eye, while John stood, unsure of what to do or where to go. He wanted to go find Stiles and talk to him, but eventually, he sat back down, eyes unseeing as he stared at the pack and the television. 

After some time, it could have been ten minutes or thirty minutes, John wasn’t entirely sure, Derek sent Isaac off to get some food, Boyd and Erica going with him. Chris and Allison headed home, Chris offering to drop Melissa and Scott off, which the nurse and her son accepted. Which left John, Peter, Stiles, and Derek in the loft. 

“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what they’re talking about?” John asked, trying to come off casual, but as Derek’s eyebrows drew together he knew he’d come across as desperate. 

“It’s not about Stiles, if that helps,” Derek said after a minute. 

“Does he ever talk about himself?” John muttered. 

“Sometimes,” Derek replied, quietly, and John looked up, the alpha blushing lightly as if he hadn’t meant to say that. 

“Yeah?” John asked, unable to tease the alpha because of how desperate he was for information about his son. 

Derek sat down heavily across from John, nodding, “Sometimes.” 

“Do you know more words, Hale?” John said, a tinge of sarcasm in his tone. 

“Not always, Peter’s the more talkative one really,” interjected Stiles’ voice as he appeared from the kitchen, Peter following him, but staying near the map table and corkboard. Stiles’ tone was casual, but the Sheriff knew his son was anxious; he didn’t need to be a wolf to read Stiles in this instance. 

“Ready to go home?” Stiles asked his dad, scuffing his shoe on the ground. 

“Are you?” John flipped the question back, surprising Stiles. 

“Uh, yeah, yeah,” Stiles responded. 

“Get home safe,” Peter called out.

“Think about what I said,” Stiles returned. The other wolf growled lowly, but Stiles only grinned. Nodding at Derek, who tossed Stiles his hoodie that had been lying over the back of the couch, “Thanks.”

“Stiles,” Derek spoke just as the teen went to open the loft door, John trying to keep himself out of Stiles’ blind spot, waiting behind his son, “this is our only option, right?”

Stiles turned back, and he looked so tired for a moment that John thought he might need to carry Stiles to the elevator. 

“So far, yeah,” the teen responded, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“The pack will be safe, Stiles.” 

Stiles nodded, “I know, alpha, I know. I trust you.” Then he turned and pulled open the loft door, heading to the elevator. He missed his father’s sharp intake of breath, because to Stiles trust, trust was worth more than love. It seemed that this was not lost on Derek, or even Peter, who was smiling, gently, if that was possible, at his nephew. 

Then Peter pulled out his phone, to text something, when a second later the Sheriff’s phone vibrated. He checked it, to see a text from the older wolf: I’ll explain this later. John bit his lip, still not completely at ease with the wolf, but he nodded all the same. 

“Dad, elevator.” Stiles’ voice called him out into the hallway and so he left, closing the loft door behind him. 

He and Stiles filed into the elevator, and Stiles leaned his head back against the wall of the elevator, eyes closed. He looked so tired. John didn’t speak; he didn’t know what to say. 

When they got to the car, Stiles buckled up, and closed his eyes again, seeming to try and recoup some energy. Still John didn’t speak. But eventually, Stiles did. 

“I’m sorry I left without talking to you this morning,” Stiles started to speak suddenly, eyes still closed, fingers tapping an unknown rhythm on his thigh. 

John wanted to protest, but decided to keep his mouth shut for once.  
“I’ll apologize to Melissa and Scott, tomorrow. Probably not in shape for it tonight,” his second sentence was a bit quieter. Then he paused, “I know, I know you asked me to be honest with you, to talk to you, I just,” John was so attuned to Stiles at that moment that he could hear the scratch of fingernails on denim. Deciding to screw it and pull over, John did so, and turned to look at Stiles who stayed in his seat, fingers flexing, forming and unforming a fist. 

At this John didn’t hesitate, he reached over to grabbed Stiles’ closest wrist, gently prying Stiles’ nails from his palm, grimacing as he saw the half-moon crescents decorating Stiles’ pale skin. 

“I just, don’t know where to start. There’s so much. And I don’t want to tell you, dad, I really, really don’t want to tell you. I’ve spent the past few months just hoping, hoping I could stop lying to you about Scott, about Derek, about all of this, but then I realized, all of this supernatural crap wasn’t the problem,” he laughed, hollowly, “Or not the only problem. I've been lying to you for so long... I hate it, for the record. But it kept you safe! I just want everyone to be okay, dad. I just wanted to keep you, safe. I don’t. I can’t be the one to find your body,” Stiles shook with dry sobs. He pulled his hand away from his father, breathing deeply, controlling his growing panic attack, “I’m not sorry, for helping and I’m going to keep doing it. I’m not sorry that I want to take care of people. I’m not!”

John didn’t know what to say, or how to respond, but he knew he had to try. 

“Mica,” Stiles’ eyes squished tight as if the nickname pained him, “I’m not going to sideline you. We both know, you wouldn’t stay there even if I tried,” he wanted to laugh, but neither of them did, “I just want you to stop feeling like you need to lie to me. I’m not going to lie to you, I know I’ll learn stuff I don’t know. I know it’ll be painful. I want that, I want to go through whatever I need to in order to help you feel like you don’t have to carry the weight of your past on your shoulders alone.” 

Then John, leaned over to run a gentle hand over his son’s forehead, and press a light kiss there, “You don’t need to prove yourself to me. You don’t need to respond right now. But, I will be here when you’re ready.”

Then John pulled back, and saw tears slip from Stiles’ closed eyes, squeezing his son’s hand briefly he attempted to provide comfort, then restarted the car and drove the rest of the way home.


End file.
